Sunday, September 20, 2009

Wojon - A small village on the edge of territories controlled by the Kuji Clan, Autumn, 3214.

SITUATION

In our Last Episode the heroes came upon an old man, dying in the bush. He pleaded to them to recover the Idol of Kojuku from his village and beged them to retrieve it and take it to the Temple of Wah. The heroes find their way to the village and discover the scene of a massacre. Some set themselves to burning the bodies of the dead while others search for the Idol. They found a locked and sealed strongbox they presumed contained the idol, but had to stay the night in the village. During the night they were attacked by a small band of ninja.

It is morning decisions must be made as to what is to be done with this Idol…

THE GAME

In the morning there was much discussion as to how to get the Idol to the Temple. Daichi, it turns out as familiar with the temple, having visited it a couple of times, and familiar enough with the region to lay out two options.

Option #1 was to head straight up into the jungle and through the mountain passes. This would take about 2-3 days. They could live off the land on the march and be done with it quickly. Any more ninjas would have to track them.

Opion #2 was to take the long way around the mountains – around the northern end of the island. This option would take about two WEEKS!? The had pitiful little money between them to be staying in inns and buying food along the way… if there had been any other ninjas around the previous night they would surely be watching out for them and there would be no one they could trust on the road….

Eventually they decided to head into the jungle, covering their tracks as best they could.

Later in the afernoon on that first day they stumbled across a Goblin hunting party….

Strangely it was Isamu, who was taking up the rear, that spotted the Goblin drawing his bow in a tree up ahead and shouted a warning just in time for Daichi to duck!

Then the whole group loosed their arrows – Hayato was struck twice and wounded. He dove for cover in the bush as quickly as he could!

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)

The other three stormed across the river and hunted down the Goblin hunters. The action was fast and furious – four were slain and the rest disappeared into the jungle…

The Heroes would be more wary in their march.

Their next encounter wasn’t until late at night… A larger group had tracked our heroes down and tried to ambush them while they were resting.

Once again their ambush was spotted and they failed to get the drop on our adventurers! Daichi spotted the marauding goblins sneaking up to their camp site and gave a shout and whacked all the others with his staff to wake them!

As the goblins charged in he summoned a blinding light. The goblin archers firing into the light ended up hitting more of their own than their intended targes and the attackers were quickly overcome and the rest faded into the darkness to summon a greater war party.

The adventurers were up and off as soon as it was light enough, expecting there would be more attacks…

It wasn’t until nearly noon that they goblins caught up to them and charged up from behind giving fearful warcries!

Meanwhile another band of archers had stole around in from of them and tried to sneak up as they turned their backs to fight the warriors.

Hayato took down one of the warrior goblins with a spear he had taken from the previous group, but then took an arrow in the back from the goblin archers. Akira wounded the sheiftan and Isamu charged in and took down one of the warriors!

DAichi was also struck with an arrow! Akira took down antoehr warrior and finished off the Chieftain.

The archers closed so more could get a shot. Wounded though he was Daichi charged into the bush and engaged one of them! Hayato was still trying to deal with the arrow stuck in his leg.

Akira charged across the open and sliced the head off of one of the goblin archer but was met with a hail of arrows from the others. She was hit by three and was down!! Hayato managed to crawl to cover in the bushes

Isamu also charged the archers and was mobbed by them and taken down. Hayato had finally regained his composure and summoned a swirling vortex of wind and leaves and branches which stunned the goblins.

Daichi and Hayato seized the initiative and charged the goblins beating them relentlessly with their staves and spear. Two were taken down and the rest set to flight….

They would be troubled no more by that particular tribe of goblins!

With the two Bushi wounded their plan to get the idol quickly to the Temple was quashed.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Hiroki Akira - Amanda - BushiAg d10, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d8, Vg d8, Pace 6, Parry 7, Toughness 6Skills: Fighting d10, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6, Tracking d4, Survival d5, healing d6, Climbing d6, Repair d4, Knowledge (Sword-making) d4Edges: Ancestral Weapon, Alertness, Hindrances: Code of Honour (Bushido), Loyal, Gear: Clothes, Ancestral Katana (Str+d6+3), Knife (str+d4)Akira’s father was a swordmaker and began to teach her the craft. He also had her study under a few Sword Masters to gain a better appreciation for how their product was expected to perform. Well, that was all well and good until her baby brother came along… As the family business was to be passed on to him Akira was all but forgotten and so chose the path of a wanderer.

Wojon - A small village on the edge of territories controlled by the Kuji Clan, Autumn, 3214.

SITUATION

The characters are wanders who met each other in their travels.

THE GAME

The Characters are currently wandering in lands controlled by the Kuji Clan. These lands border on the wild lands – populated by goblins and demons and other monstrous aberrations. While walking along a trail Akira hears the moaning of a dying old man off in the bushes.

The group rushes to the old man’s aid but he is beyond saving. He suffers from dozens of stab and slash wounds about his body and has clearly dragged himself a great distance through the mud and jungle – it is a wonder a man of such age could have survived as long as he has!

Daichi does what he can to ease the old man’s suffering and inquires who has done this to him.

With his dying breath the old man tells them that men in black attacked his village. He thinks they were looking for the Idol of Kojuku and begs them to retrieve it and take it to the Temple of Wah. The idol was buried under his hut in the village. Then he expires.

The group tracks their way through the jungle following the trail of blood and broken plants the old man left as he dragged himself. He had covered a startling distance considering his wounds – it took the group nearly half the day to find the village.

When they arrived in the village they came across the scene of a massacre! The entire village murdered and left to rot in the sun! After searching the village for survivors or clues they set to the task of piling up the corpses for burning and digging under what they deduced was the old man’s hut.

By evening they had dug out a small, but very heavy iron chest, locked and sealed. This they assumed to be the Idol but weren’t sure if they should attempt to open the box.

They decided to stay the night in the village as there was no where else for them to really go, and would set out for the temple in the morning…..

While Daichi was taking a turn on watch and saying prayers for the dead he heard a noise (aced on notice – big time) and turned to see some forms in black moving form shadow to shadow – he gave a shout and ran for cover behind on of the buildings as he noticed one was drawing a bow…

In no time the leader of the gang of NINJAS was upon him and slashing at him eith extreme violence!

The others were up, quick as a flash, and battled the ninjas outside their hut!

Daichi was severely wounded but Akira and Isamu were having better luck. Hayato weaved the wind in and out trying to confused and distract the other ninjas.

The ninjas were eventually overcome…

Akira chases down one that tried to escape.

Unfortunately none survived to be questioned….

Why were these ninjas after this idol? Were they hired by someone else or after it for their own nefarious purposes? Stay tuned next week!

The Ninjas attacked just after midnight while Arata and Gorou were on sentry…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)

Ninjas swarm the village!

…from all directions!

The archer here took a shot or two at Gorou both times his Dodge ability saved his skin!

Gorou – who initially spotted the Ninjas (aced on the notice when one group of ninjas rolled poorly), initially moved to investigate – loosed and arrow at one, then realizing he was surrounded ran for cover in a hut.

Arata ran into the hut the other characters were sleeping in and tried to awaken them.

One group of ninjas silently entered a hut and silently killed all in their slumber.

The Adventurers pour out of their hut and are attacked by ninjas. Arata is already down! (I handed the villagers card to Rick as some of them were beginning to wake up…)

Ninjas attack the village headman –who turns out to be a wu-jen sorcerer! (Christian’s character was down by now so I handed him the village headman’s card..)

Ninjas battle villager that woke up and try to defend themselves.

The archer in the bottom right shot at Gorou – in a building, in the dark with dodge…. Hit with a raise and caused EIGHT WOUNDS!!! We said he got him in the throat and pinned him to the back wall of the hut!

More ninjas join in the battle against the Village Elder…

All the Characters are down now!

Ninjas chase down the last few surviving villagers that tried to escape out a back window!

The Ninja leader is brought in to finish off the headman!

What could they have wanted? Why destroy the whole village? Perhaps a wandering band of adventurers will stumble upon this grizzly scene and solve the riddle and avenge the village!!!